SECOND ARREST MADE IN JESS CARTER RACIST ABUSE INVESTIGATION

A 30-year-old man from Ripley was arrested on suspicion of malicious communication

England's Jess Carter received racist abuse online during the Women's Euros this summer (The FA via Getty Images)

A second man has been arrested by police investigating online racist abuse sent to England defender Jess Carter during the Women's Euros.

Derbyshire Constabulary arrested a 30-year-old man from Ripley on suspicion of malicious communications in relation to the abuse towards Carter.

The man has been released on bail.

It followed the arrest of a 59-year-old man from Great Harwood by Lancashire Police on August 28, also on suspicion of malicious communication in relation to some of the messages.

Both arrests stem from an investigation launched in July by the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) and social media companies.

Cheshire Constabulary Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chief Council (NPCC) lead for football policing, said: "Nobody should be subjected to such disgusting abuse, and we want to make it clear that racist abuse of this nature will not be tolerated.

"Everyone is responsible for what they do and say, and we want to ensure offenders cannot hide behind a social media profile to post vile comments."

Sergeant Gemma Thursfield from Derbyshire Constabulary said: "Abuse online is no different to being in person and people need to be clear that the posts they make, or messages they send, on social media are just the same as making them in person.

Second arrest made in Jess Carter racist abuse investigation
Carter was a key player in England's European Championship win despite receiving abuse throughout the tournament

"The impact on Jess, and other victims of this crime, are clear to see and we will work with our partners in law enforcement to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice."

Carter revealed in July she had been the target of "a lot of abuse" during the tournament.

Carter told ITV News last month that the psychological impact of the abuse she suffered made her feel "scared" when England head coach Sarina Wiegman told her she had been selected to play in the Euro final, which England won on penalties against Spain to retain the title.

"That's the first time I've ever been scared; too scared to play," she said.

"I think it was a mixture of such a big game but then on top of that, (I was) scared of whatever abuse might come with it, whether it's football-based or whether it was going to be the racial abuse that was going to come with it because I did something wrong.

"(The abuse) makes you feel really small. It makes you feel like you're not important, that you're not valuable.

"It makes you second guess everything that you do - it's not a nice place to be. It doesn't make me feel confident going back onto the pitch. My family was so devastated by it as well and so sad."

- Jamie Gardner

FIFA PRESIDENT GIANNI INGANTINO 'DEEPLY SADDENED' BY RACIST ABUSE TOWARDS ENGLAND'S JESS CARTER

Jess Carter has been the target of racist abuse on social media during Euro 2025 and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has promised to help the authorities identify the culprits

FIFA president Gianni Infantino (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, has expressed his deep sorrow over the online racial abuse targeted at England's Jess Carter during Euro 2025, vowing that FIFA will collaborate with relevant authorities to identify those responsible.

Defender Carter announced she would be "taking a step back from social media and leaving it to a team to deal with" after disclosing she had been subjected to "a lot of racial abuse" throughout the tournament in Switzerland.

Infantino took to Instagram to express his dismay: "I am deeply saddened to see the online abuse directed at England's Jess Carter during the ongoing Women's EURO tournament. There is no place for racism in football or in society.

"We stand with Jess. We stand with every player and every individual who has suffered from racist abuse.

"No player should be discriminated against in any way, they should be free to be at their very best on the pitch.

"Through FIFA's Social Media Protection Service, we have helped tackle such abuse across multiple tournaments. We will continue to collaborate and support confederations, FIFA Member Associations and their players.

"In this instance, we will be offering our support with any further action required, as well as sharing data for appropriate action to be taken against any perpetrators."

Mark Bullingham, the chief of the Football Association, confirmed that his organisation has already reported the "abhorrent" abuse to UK police, who are "in touch with the relevant social media platform".

Bullingham stated the FA "will continue to discuss with the relevant authorities and social media companies about what more can and should be done."

Lucy Bronze expressed her sadness for England teammate Carter ahead of the Lionesses semi-final clash with Italy in Geneva on Tuesday, whilst cautioning social media firms that football players can "thrive" without their platforms.

"I think no player needs social media," Bronze remarked. "I think that's one thing that we can always remember, is that we play football because we love the sport.

"Someone like Jess, she's had an amazing tournament. I think she was one of our best players in the Netherlands game, for example, and she should be able to see messages and the fans and the support and live in that moment, because it's something you should be able to celebrate."

The Lionesses have reached a collective decision that they will not be "taking the knee" before kick-off in Geneva, abandoning the symbolic anti-racism gesture that has become commonplace across sport since 2016, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the Star Spangled Banner in protest.

"Until now, we have chosen to take the knee before matches," the team statement declared.

"It's clear we and football need to find another way to tackle racism.

"We have agreed as a squad to remain standing before kick-off on Tuesday."

- Husmukh Kerai